09 August 2006

This morning the Globe & Mail made 5 separate references to the Federal Government in this article regarding Justice Marshall's ruling.

The judgment threatens to derail behind-the-scenes negotiations between natives and the federal and provincial governments.

"Barricades must come down, the rule of law return and the police begin to enforce the law on the property," said Judge Marshall, who has repeatedly summoned the province, provincial police, native leaders and the federal government to his Cayuga, Ont., courtroom to demand why his February order to clear the disputed site has not been carried out.

Earlier in the evening, after a meeting, Six Nations representatives said they plan to ignore the ruling and continue negotiations. One spokesperson suggested that federal officials had already been in contact.

In the past, all sides have called on Ottawa to step in, but the federal government has usually characterized the dispute as a provincial matter. Yesterday, Deirdra McCracken, a spokeswoman for Indian Affairs Minister Jim Prentice, said the government is considering the judge's ruling.

According to Janie Jamieson, another spokeswoman, federal authorities had contacted them earlier in the day.

Is Dalton McGuinty about to be benched? Given his lamentable performance on this matter for the last five months... he might even be happy to trot off to the sidelines.